


A New Hope

by Silverdrift



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Post-Game(s), Post-Time Skip, Post-War, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 15:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20762609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverdrift/pseuds/Silverdrift
Summary: A self-harm habit you picked up during the war had proved harder to stop than you first thought. You tried to keep it from Sylvain out of fear that he might leave you, but when he returns early from a mission and catches you... things turn out better than you expected.





	A New Hope

**Author's Note:**

> OK so. Iiiiiiiiii have never written a reader insert! Never. This is the very first one. I struggled with it a bit only because I was... unsure of what I was doing. So I apologize if this is not the quality that you hoped for but I hope you enjoy it regardless! 
> 
> As per the norm, I apologize for weird grammar or typos

“Shit…” You muttered softly, staring down at the cut upon your upper thigh, still bleeding steadily. Usually, you were very careful where you placed the cuts and how deep you made them as you didn’t really want to have to explain them to anyone. This one though, perhaps you were a little more stressed than you thought, your mind having wandered off to some dark place it hadn’t visited since the end of the war. With an irritated growl, you got up, using your hand to apply at least some sort of pressure to it as you grabbed gauze and fresh bandages. It would do no good to just stare at it.

In truth, you rather hated this little habit of yours. You’d picked it up during the war as a way of dealing with the stress of it all. It started after that first battle where you had to cut down someone you once called friend. Even then, it was nothing more than you picking at the wounds, half zoned out wondering why it had to be this way. That eventually morphed into taking a few intentional hits during battle. Nothing life threatening of course, just enough to hurt. Enough to remind you that you were still human even amid all the killing. Then… not even that was enough and you resorted to hiding away in your quarters, taking your own dagger across your flesh in places you knew you could hide. You were sure that once the war ended and thing settled down, you’d be able to stop. 

Except you couldn’t.

The war ended, things settled down as much as was possible… yet here you were, patching yourself up again because you got a bit carried away. It was frustrating, but you didn’t know what else to do that didn’t involve telling someone and your boyfriend finding out. That’s the last person you needed to know.

Wouldn’t it be your luck that your door would suddenly swing open and reveal that very man, back early from his mission, in all his red-headed, goofy glory. “Hey there good looking~, what’re you up to?”

“Sylvain!” You tried to sound more excited than startled, casually standing so that the blood you’d yet to wash off your hand wasn’t visible. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow.”

“And miss our anniversary? Never.” He laughed some at the surprised look on your face. “Oh, come on. You didn’t think I’d forget, did you? I made sure to get everything done as soon as possible so I could get back and take the most amazing person I know to dinner.” He reached out a hand to you expectantly, that normal goofy smile on his face, and you did probably the worst thing you could have done. You hesitated. It was a split second, just you trying to remind yourself to use the hand not covered in your own blood… but it was enough for him to notice. His expression faltered, looking now concerned and a little dejected. “Something wrong?”

“No. Nothing wrong. Sorry I just… been kind of out of it today I guess.” You answered quickly, forcing a smile to your face and unconsciously moving your hand behind your back. “Dinner sounds great, just let me get ready ok?”

“Sure thing.” He seemed to accept that and drop the subject, pulling you in for a hug with a smile. When you went to step away from him though, he gently grabbed your arm and pulled your hand to where he could see it. Damn him and his surprising attention to detail. The sight of blood made the color drain from his face and he started trying desperately to find where you were hurt… but he found nothing. “What’s this blood from? Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. I just had a cut is all. You caught me in the middle of trying to clean up.” Panic rose up in your chest, praying to the goddess that he would leave it at that. If he found out… well, you didn’t imagine he was going to be happy and ending up single on your anniversary didn’t sound like a good time. 

No such luck, though, as he started looking around for the cut. When he didn’t find it, he looked up at your face, presumably to ask you where and how… when suddenly a strange look crossed his face. “Show me.”

“Sylvain. Really, its fine. I’m OK. I got it bandaged up and take care off. You don’t need to worry.” The attempt to avoid showing him didn’t seem to help, his eyes trailing back down to your hands for a moment before coming back up to meet yours.

“Babe, please… just show me.” 

There was something in his voice that just about killed you inside. That hurt, sad tone that had take over that normally carefree voice… You let out a sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling up the leg of your shorts and undoing the bandages. The bleeding on the newest cut had finally slowed some with the pressure of the bandage, but you couldn’t keep it uncovered long. “T-There. See?”

Sylvain knelt in front of you to get a closer look at the cut and its accompanying scars. They were all too neat, too organized and deliberate to have been simply battle scars and this new cut was carefully placed, away from the major artery. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked quietly, eyes still firmly affixed on your leg. When you didn’t answer, he looked up to find you biting back tears. “H-hey. Don’t do that. I’m not mad or anything… I just…”

“I didn’t want you to find out and decide I wasn’t worth the trouble…” You finally muttered, voice trembling as you hastily wrapped your leg back up and yanked your shorts leg back down. 

“What? You thought…” Suddenly he chuckled and pulled you close, causing you a great deal of confusion as he laid his forehead on your chest. “You think that I, the king of self-destructive behavior, would leave you over that? I just wish I had known so I could help!” You must have had quite the look on your face, because when he picked his head up to speak again, he gave you a soft, endearing smile. “I couldn’t stop the skirt chasing habit on my own… I was pretty much stuck until you came along and pulled me out. Probably by my hair, kicking and screaming at first… but the point is that I’m only free of it now because of you. So, let me return the favor. After all, I told you when we got together that I would strive to make you the happiest person on the planet didn’t I?” 

You gave a nod, a small laugh escaping from your lips at his over the top promise. “Yeah… I remember you saying something like that…”

“Well, I meant it. I meant it then and I mean it even more now.” He took your hand in his, laying a kiss so soft across your knuckles that you didn’t even notice the ring he slipped on your hand until he pulled away and brushed his thumb over it. You let out a gasp, nearly giving yourself whiplash with how quickly you looked from the ring and then back at him. “I was going to wait until dinner to ask you this… something cliché and movie worthy, but I need you to know how serious I am about this…” He trailed off after that, looking to you for an answer to the unspoken question.

You were in shock. Disbelief. What you thought would surely wind up in heartbreak, ended up with… this. Of course, there was no way you were going to tell me no, so with a goofy grin on your face you nodded, practically throwing your arms around him. You knew the problem wasn’t going to disappear overnight, but knowing that no matter what Sylvain was by your side gave you the courage to truly hope for a better tomorrow.


End file.
